Trent Alexander-Arnold injury blow opens door for Liverpool squad star

With the summer window focusing heavily on midfield recruitment, some feel that the defence was neglected at a time when it needed at least one addition.

A left-sided defender was targeted but nothing came to fruition and with Joel Matip’s deal set to expire at the end of this season, it means Gomez has a chance to stake a claim to become a more important part of Jurgen Klopp’s defence.

Many will point towards his form from 2017-2019, especially during the first half of their title-winning campaign in the 2019/20 season, where he and Virgil van Dijk combined for a brilliant partnership that saw just one player score against them across 1,246 minutes at one point.

However, chances at centre-back could be few and far between for Gomez given that there was an long-term injury suffered by Conor Bradley just as the season started, resulting in Trent Alexander-Arnold having no back-up on the right side of defence.

This means he will be tasked with filling in from time to time to take the load of Alexander-Arnold, and whilst it’s not his best position, the fact he can cover in that role is very important for Klopp and his squad.

It must be said that Gomez struggled for form last season which was a result of poor individual mistakes as well as an inability from Liverpool’s midfield to shield the defence meaning their defenders were exposed more often.

But he’s looked strong, fit and sharp at the start of the new campaign and his ability to cover right-back as well as centre-back has been a huge bonus for Klopp once again. With Alexander-Arnold out for tomorrow night’s trip to face LASK in the Europa League, Gomez can move across once again and cover there, much like he did vs Wolves.

He endured a few difficult moments against an in-form Pedro Neto but the Reds came away with a victory nonetheless and it’s still a position that he is working to improve, but there’s also no one else who can play there without being massively out of position.

Furthermore, it also means someone like Jarrel Quansah can start again at centre-back and continue his development whilst Gomez bides his time and will surely be rewarded with starts at centre-back down the line when Klopp is able to.

Still only 26, he looked strong at centre-back during their 3-0 victory over Aston Villa and his all-round ability on the ball, as well as his physicality off it, give fans hope that he can rediscover his best form and fulfil his vast potential.